Lessons Learned as a Blog and Social Media Entrepreneur

How can I make money from blogging and using social media? What do I need to know to run an online contest? How do you deal with people copying our content or pictures resulting to copyright violation and even attacks online? What qualities do I need to possess to become an entrepreneur in this space? How did you get started? What are the perks of becoming an established blogger?

The Certified Blog and Social Media Entrepreneur badge is used by students who have completed the Blog and Social Media Entrepreneur Program offered by DigitalFilipino, eLearning Edge / BlueBlade, and Ateneo De Manila University.

Patient, flexible, and creative are key qualities of a blog and social media entrepreneur or practitioner. This I share whenever I get to talk about blogging and social media marketing as some tend to underestimate or misunderstood the kind of work required in this area.

What I like about this gig is its competitive nature. There are also a lot of technology developments in this space that makes it imperative for a blog and social media consultant to constantly experiment and find out what will work for them.

Once you are able to establish yourself, it can also result to more opportunities and referrals that can keep your business going and growing.

For those who would like to explore blogging and social media marketing as an opportunity to earn and become an entrepreneur, here are some lessons learned I like to share from building blogs for clients to social media marketing online:

1. Find topics and communities that interest you.

Go for topics and communities that makes you naturally extrovert. Those where you can engage in a discussion without hesitation. If there are contest and promotions happening in this space, join them! This gives you the opportunity to learn and find like-minded prospective clients and readers too. In addition to introducing yourself, if you blog about participation experiences, this can help in gradually building your online influence.

2. Be flexible and competitive.

Each client has a unique need and budget level. Be ready to present possible options in carrying out a campaign rather than just sticking to one form of execution. Although you may not be able to get things done your way, be open-minded to explore. If you have a bad feeling where a campaign may be at risk, be upfront with the client about it and decide from there.

3. Be creative.

With so many campaigns happening online, eliciting attention for people to notice or take part requires a compelling message and presentation – that is hard to resist. Keep pushing yourself in experimenting and don’t get easily contented. Carry this out with your own blog and social media profile if there are limited opportunities to test new ideas.

4. Be patient.

In the DigitalFilipino Club, I lately find myself talking to some members, who are in this profession, encountering some collection problems from clients (mostly subcontractors). Definitely, arguing and threatening will not get you anywhere. Focus on saving the relationship and work a win-win that is reasonable to both of you. On that note, find clients as well who are willing to pay in advance where the sum is sufficient enough to recover the cost of your project. Rather than not collecting any initial payment at all that may also get you into a heavy debt.

5. Take care of your clients and subcontractors.

As your business grow, it also comes with a lot of challenges especially if you are carrying out projects as a freelancer. In my end, this is the handling of administrative task. Have a checklist that will remind you to do activities diligently such as processing what is due to others and reports to submit. If there will be delays due to hectic schedule or you are waiting for something to arrive, keep in touch and give a heads-up. Nothing beats constant communication.

6. Be bold.

Becoming a blog and social media entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It requires a liberal perspective and resilience to take failures constructively as much as success.

Those who last long as well in this business take part in issues and concerns relevant on what is happening around us today. If you will just focus on the commercial aspects, in my opinion, you will not be able to establish an identity online that can uniquely define you. There will be praises and attacks moments as well. Being able to handle them gracefully and rise above it, the experience gained, can be immeasurable in value – in terms of applying the lessons learned in crisis management.

2 Responses to “Lessons Learned as a Blog and Social Media Entrepreneur”

This is exactly right.. Just to add a little bit about what we have experience is that if your good in providing a solution to peoples problem then you are exactly in the right track.. You can blog or even create your a site where people can visit those solutions you have. Now if online users want that solution they can tweet you or share you into their social sites.u00a0nnI think this can also help..

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Janette Toral

About Us

DigitalFilipino.com is a personal website of Janette Toral that started last September 17, 1999. This site has served as a platform for numerous online experiment in the area of e-commerce, Internet research, Philippine Internet history, and blogging. READ MORE about Janette Toral.